SURAH AL-BAQARAH (AYAH 131 to 140)

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ {2:131}

[Q2:131] Iz qaala lahoo Rabbuhooo aslim qaala aslamtu li Rabbil 'aalameen.
[Q2:131] When his Lord said to him, Be a Muslim, he said: I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds.

[Q2:131] (Ingatlah) ketika Tuhannya berfirman kepadanya: “Serahkanlah diri (kepadaKu wahai Ibrahim)!” Nabi Ibrahim menjawab: “Aku serahkan diri (tunduk taat) kepada Tuhan Yang Memelihara dan mentadbirkan sekalian alam”.

Aslim means to submit. The root of the word is Islam (complete submission to ALLAH (SWT). Ibrahim submitted and surrendered to the will of ALLAH (SWT) and became a true Muslim in the perfect sense of the word.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:131) When his Lord said to him, "Surrender," *130 he promptly responded, "I have surrendered to the Lord of the Universe (and become a Muslim)."

*130. 'Muslim' signifies he who bows in obedience to God, who acknowledges God alone as his Sovereign, Lord and Master, and the only object of worship, devotion and service, who unreservedly surrenders himself to God and undertakes to live his life in accordance with the guidance that has come down from Him. Islam is the appellation which characterizes the above -mentioned belief and outlook which constitutes the core and kernel of the religion of all the Prophets who have appeared from time to time among different peoples and in different countries since the very beginning of human life.

وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ {2:132}

[Q2:132] Wa wassaa bihaaa Ibraaheemu baneehi wa Ya'qoob, yaa baniyya innal laahas tafaa lakumud deena falaa tamootunna illaa wa antum muslimoon.
[Q2:132] And the same did Ibrahim enjoin on his sons and (so did) Yaqoub. O’ my sons! Surely ALLAH (SWT) has chosen for you (this) faith, therefore die not unless you are Muslims.

[Q2:132] Dan Nabi Ibrahim pun berwasiat dengan ugama itu kepada anak-anaknya, dan (demikian juga) Nabi Yaakub (berwasiat kepada anak-anaknya) katanya: “Wahai anak-anakku! Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) telah memilih ugama (Islam) ini menjadi ikutan kamu, maka janganlah kamu mati melainkan kamu dalam keadaan Islam”.

HAVING BEEN BLESSED BY ACCEPTING THE RELIGION OF ALLAH (SWT), ISLAM, IBRAHIM CHARGED HIS OFFSPRING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PURITY OF THE PATH THAT HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND ASKED THEM NOT TO DIE EXCEPT AS MUSLIMS. Prophet Yaqub also did the same. In Genesis I 8: 19 this advice has been mentioned.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:132) He also enjoined on his children to follow the same way. Jacob also did the same *131 and his last will to his sons was, "O my children, Allah has chosen the same way of life *132 for you. Hence remain Muslims up to your last breath."

*131. Jacob is especially mentioned since the Children of Israel were his direct descendants. 
*132. Din is a Qur'anic technical term, signifying the way of life, the system of conduct, and the code on which man bases his entire mode of thought and action. (For the author's views on din see his Four Basic Qur'anic Terms, tr. Abu Asad, Lahore, 1979, pp. 93-103 - Ed.)

أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَٰهَكَ وَإِلَٰهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ {2:133}

[Q2:133] Am kuntum shuhadaaa'a iz hadara Ya'qoobal mawtu iz qaala libaneehi maa ta'budoona mim ba'dee qaaloo na'budu ilaahaka wa ilaaha aabaaa'ika Ibraaheema wa Ismaa'eela wa Ishaaqa iIlaahanw waahidanw wa nahnu lahoo muslimoon.

[Q2:133] Nay! Were you witnesses when death visited Yaqoub, when he said to his sons: What will you serve after me? They said: We will serve your ALLAH (SWT) and the ALLAH (SWT) of your fathers, Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq, one ALLAH (SWT) only, and to Him do we submit.

[Q2:133] (Demikianlah wasiat Nabi Yaakub, bukan sebagaimana yang kamu katakan itu wahai orang-orang Yahudi)! Kamu tiada hadir ketika Nabi Yaakub hampir mati, ketika ia berkata kepada anak-anaknya: “Apakah yang kamu akan sembah sesudah aku mati?” Mereka menjawab: “Kami menyembah Tuhanmu dan Tuhan datuk nenekmu Ibrahim dan Ismail dan Ishak, iaitu Tuhan yang Maha Esa, dan kepadaNyalah sahaja kami berserah diri (dengan penuh iman)”.

It should be noted that Ismail, who was a paternal uncle of Yaqub, has been cited as the father of the descendants of Yaqub, and also in the following verses: Ali Imran 3:84; Nisa 4:163; An-am 6:85 to 88; Sad 38:45 to 48

¥  IT IS EVIDENT THAT PEOPLE USED TO ADDRESS A PATERNAL UNCLE AS FATHER. IN THE SAME WAY IBRAHIM HAD ADDRESSED AZAR, HIS UNCLE, AS FATHER.

THE MESSAGE OF ALLAH (SWT), ISLAM, IS CONTINUOUS, FOR ALL TIMES.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:133) Were you present at the time when Jacob was on the point of death? He asked his children, "Whom will you worship after me?" They all answered, "We will worship the same One Allah Whom you, your forefathers Abraham. Ismail and Isaac acknowledged as their Allah and to Him we all surrender as Muslims." *133

*133. In the Bible the events connected with the death of Jacob (peace be on him) are narrated in detail. It is amazing that this narrative makes no reference to his testament. However, the contents of the detailed testament embodied in the Talmud greatly resemble the Qur'anic version. The Talmudic version reads as follows:
'Serve the Lord your God, and He will deliver ye from all trouble, even as He delivered your fathers.'
' . . . Teach your children to love God, and observe His commandments, in order that their days may be prolonged, for God will guard those who do justly and walk in righteousness through all His ways.'
And the sons of Jacob responded, 'All that you have commanded us, our father, we will do. May God be with us!'
And Jacob answered: 'The Lord will be with you if ye depart not from His ways to the right hand or to the left.'
(The Talmud Selections by H. Polano, London, Frederick Warne & Co., [1877], pp. 113-14.) 

تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ ۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُمْ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ {2:134}

[Q2:134] Tilka ummatun qad khalat lahaa maa kasabat wa lakum maa kasabtum wa laa tus'aloona 'ammaa kaano ya'maloon.

[Q2:134] This is a people that have passed away; they shall have what they earned and you shall have what you earn, and you shall not be called upon to answer for what they did.

[Q2:134] Mereka itu adalah satu umat yang telah lalu sejarahnya; bagi mereka (balasan) apa yang mereka telah usahakan, dan bagi kamu pula (balasan) apa yang kamu usahakan; dan kamu tidak akan ditanya (atau dipertanggungjawabkan) tentang apa yang telah mereka lakukan.

THE DOCTRINE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE OF ISLAM. Please refer to the commentary of verse 48 of this surah.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:134) They were a people who passed away; they shall receive the reward of what they earned and you shall have the reward of what you will earn; and you will not be questioned as to what they did. *134

*134. What is being said here is that even though they might be their offspring in terms of blood - relationship they had, in fact, no true relationship with them. What right did they have to pretend to belong to them when they had departed far from their way? For God would not ask people what their forefathers did; it was rather about their own conduct and action that they would be questioned.
'Theirs is what they have earned ' is a characteristically Qur'anic expression. What we ordinarily characterize as either 'action' or 'doing' is termed by the Qur'an as 'earning'. The reason is that each and every human action has its ultimate effect, whether or not it is good, and will have its manifestation in God's approval or disapproval. It is this ultimate effect which is a man's earning. Since the Qur'an considers this to be of paramount importance, it characterizes man's actions as his 'earning'. 

وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ {2:135}

[Q2:135] Wa qaaloo koonoo Hoodan aw Nasaaraa tahtadoo; qul bal Millata Ibraaheema Haneefanw wa maa kaana minal mushrikeen.
[Q2:135] And they say: Be Jews or Christians, you will be on the right course. Say: Nay! (we follow) the religion of Ibrahim, the Hanif, and he was not one of the polytheists.

[Q2:135] Dan mereka (kaum Yahudi dan Nasrani) berkata: “Jadilah kamu pemeluk ugama Yahudi atau pemeluk ugama Nasrani, nescaya kamu akan mendapat petunjuk”. Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad: “Kami orang-orang Islam tidak akan menurut apa yang kamu katakan itu) bahkan kami mengikut ugama Nabi Ibrahim yang tetap di atas dasar Tauhid, dan bukanlah ia dari orang-orang musyrik”.

The religion of Ibrahim the hanif (hanafa means to turn, to bend, to incline - to righteousness) is the true path, not the path of the Jews or the Christians. THEREFORE THE PATH OF THE FAITHFUL REPRESENTATIVES AND ADVOCATES OF THE IBRAHIMIC FAITH IS THE RIGHT PATH.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:135) The Jews say, "Become Jews and you will be rightly guided" ;the Christians say, "Become Christians and you will have the true guidance." Say to them, "Nay, we turn away from every other way and accept the way of Abraham, and Abraham did not associate other gods with Allah." *135

*135. In order to grasp the subtlety, of this remark two things should be borne in mind. First, that in comparison to Islam, the primordial religion, both Judaism and Christianity are later products. The name Judaism, as well as the characteristic features and elaborate body of laws and regulations associated with it emerged during the third or fourth century, B.C. As for Christianity. in the sense of the body of dogmas and theological doctrines which characterize it, it came into existence long after Jesus (peace be on llim). The question that naturally arises is that, if man's guidance depends on following Judaism or Christianity, how can Abraham and other Prophets and righteous people who are accepted as having been rightly-guided even by the Jews and Christians be considered so when they were born several centuries before the birth of Judaism and Chrstianity? If they were rightly-guided from whom did they receive their guidance? Obviously their source of guidance and inspiration was neither Judaism nor Christianitv since, in their times, these did not exist. So man's rectitude does not depend on those characteristics which led to the rise of Jewish and Christian particularisms; it rather depends on adopting that universal way to Truth which has guided and inspired men throughout the ages.
Second. the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians attest that Abraham believed that worship, adoration, service and obedience were due to God alone, and that it was his mission to have none associated with God in His attributes and rights. Since polytheistic elements had made inroads into Judaism and Christianity it was obvious that both had strayed from the way of Abraham. 

قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ {2:136}

[Q2:136] Qoolooo aamannaa billaahi wa maaa unzila ilainaa wa maaa unzila ilaaa Ibraaheema wa Ismaa'eela wa Ishaaqa wa Ya'qooba wal Asbaati wa maaootiya Moosa wa 'Eesaa wa maaa ootiyan Nabiyyoona mir Rabbihim laa nufaariq baina ahadim minhum wa nahnu lahoo muslimoon.

[Q2:136] Say: We believe in ALLAH (SWT) and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq and Yaqoub and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Musa and Isa, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.

[Q2:136] Katakanlah (wahai orang-orang yang beriman): “Kami beriman kepada ALLAH (SwT), dan kepada apa yang diturunkan kepada kami (Al-Quran), dan kepada apa yang diturunkan kepada Nabi Ibrahim dan Nabi Ismail dan Nabi Ishak dan Nabi Yaakub serta anak-anaknya, dan juga kepada apa yang diberikan kepada Nabi Musa (Taurat) dan Nabi Isa (Injil), dan kepada apa yang diberikan kepada Nabi-nabi dari Tuhan mereka; kami tidak membeza-bezakan antara seseorang dari mereka (sebagaimana yang kamu – Yahudi dan Nasrani – membeza-bezakannya); dan kami semua adalah Islam (berserah diri, tunduk taat) kepada ALLAH (SwT) semata-mata”.

THE RELIGION OF ISLAM IS UNIVERSAL, FOR ALL PEOPLE, IN EVERY AGE.

r  Therefore, it is necessary for every follower of Islam to believe in all the prophets and messengers of ALLAH (SWT) AND in what was revealed to them.

No other religion besides Islam demands from its followers to believe equally in the sinless purity of the conduct and character of other prophets of ALLAH (SWT), AND in the truthfulness of other sacred scriptures as the revealed words of ALLAH (SWT).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:136) O Muslims, say to them, "We believe in Allah and the Guidance which has been sent down to us and which was sent to Abraham, Ismail , Isaac and Jacob and his descendants and which was given by their Lord to Moses and Jesus and to all other Prophets. We do not discriminate against any of them *136 and we have completely surrendered to Allah as Muslims."

*136. To make no distinction between the Prophets means not to hold some of them to he right and the others to be wrong, not to recognize some to have been the recipients of Divine revelation and the others not. All the Prophets sent by God invited men to the same Truth and to the same way. Hence for anyone who is really a lover of Truth it is necessary that he should recognize all of them to be its bearers. Those who believe in one particular Prophet and disbelieve in others do not in fact believe even in that particular Prophet in whom they, claim to believe, for they have not grasped the nature of that universal 'Straight Way' (al-sirat al-mustaqim) which was enunciated by Moses, Jesus and the other Prophets. When such people claim to foliow a Prophet they, really mean that they do so out of deference to their forefathers. Their religion in fact consists of bigoted ancestor-worship and blind imitation of inherited customs rather than sincere adherence to the directives of any Prophet of God.

فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا ۖ وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ ۖ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ {2:137}

[Q2:137] Fa in aamanoo bimisli maaa aamantum bihee faqadih tadaw wa in tawallaw fa innamaa hum fee shiqaaq; fasayak fee kahumul laah; wa Huwas Samee'ul Aleem.

[Q2:137] If then they believe as you believe in Him, they are indeed on the right course, and if they turn back, then they are only in great opposition, so ALLAH (SWT) will suffice you against them, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

[Q2:137] Maka kalau mereka beriman sebagaimana kamu beriman (dengan Kitab-kitab ALLAH (SwT) dan Rasul-rasulnya), maka sesungguhnya mereka telah beroleh petunjuk; dan jika mereka berpaling (serta tidak mahu beriman dengan sebenar-benar iman) maka sesungguhnya mereka akan tinggal berkekalan dalam perbalahan dan permusuhan (dengan kamu); oleh itu (janganlah engkau khuatir wahai Muhammad) kerana ALLAH (SwT) akan memeliharamu (dan umatmu) dari kejahatan mereka; dan Dia lah jua Yang Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha Mengetahui.

The Jews and the Christians would have become the followers of the true faith IF THEY HAD ACCEPTED [*] the teachings of the earlier prophets AND [*] acknowledged the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), BUT THEY OPPOSED the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) right from the beginning and on many occasions tried to kill him.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:137) Then if they believe the way you have believed, they have the right guidance,and if they turn away from this, it will become obvious that they are obdurate. Therefore, rest assured that AIIah will suffice to defend you against them: He hears everything and knows every thing.

صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ {2:138}

[Q2:138] Sibghatal laahi wa man ahsanu minal laahi sibghatanw wa nahnu lahoo 'aabidoon.
[Q2:138] (Receive) the baptism of ALLAH (SWT), and who is better than ALLAH (SWT) in baptising? And Him do we serve.

[Q2:138] (Katakanlah wahai orang-orang yang beriman: “Ugama Islam, yang kami telah sebati dengannya ialah): celupan ALLAH (SwT) yang mencorakkan seluruh kehidupan kami dengan corak Islam); dan siapakah yang lebih baik celupannya daripada ALLAH (SwT)? (Kami tetap percayakan ALLAH (SwT)) dan kepadaNyalah kami beribadat”.

Sibgh means dye-colouring or immersion in water.

The Christian church has adopted it as a religious ceremony of baptism. By immersion in or sprinkling water on every convert, he or she is admitted to their faith. The Christian baptism, this verse reminds, does not really introduce a man to the true faith. The true faith is universal. The Christian baptism rejects and denies all prophets and messengers of ALLAH (SWT).

Ë  THE (ISLAM) DIVINE BAPTISM INSPIRES LOVE FOR GOODNESS (TAWALLA) AND DISLIKE FOR EVIL (TABARRA) which is the true nature of man. It colours or conditions the mind and behaviour of the believers so that he or she should adhere to godliness and reject godlessness.

THE DYE-COLOURING OF ALLAH (SWT) MEANS TO TAKE ON THE COLOUR OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH (SWT) AND INVOLVE THE SOUL DEEPLY IN THE DIVINITY OF THE LORD. IT INSPIRES THE BELIEVER WITH THE CONVICTION THAT THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE IS ONE. HE LOVES EVERY CREATED BEING. THOSE WHO LOVE ALLAH (SWT) MUST LOVE EVERY THING ALLAH (SWT) LOVES.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:138) Say, "Take Allah's colour, *137 and who can give a better colour than Allah? Therefore, we worship and submit to Him alone. "

*137. This verse can be translated in two ways. One of these is: 'We have taken on Allah's colour.' The other is: 'Take on Allah's colour.' On the eve of the advent of Christianity the Jews followed the practice of bathing everyone who embraced their religion. This ritual bath signified that all his previous sins had been washed away and that he had adopted a different colour for his life. This practice was subsequently taken over by the Christians and is termed 'baptism'. Not only converts but even new-born babies were baptized. The Qur'anic remarks here refer to this institution. The Qur'an says in effect: 'Of what use is this formal baptism? What really is worth doing is to adopt the colour of God, and it is not water that gives one this colour but actual service and devotion to God.' 

قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ {2:139}

[Q2:139] Qul atuhaaajjoonanaa fil laahi wa Huwa Rabbunaa wa Rabbukum wa lanaa a'maalunaa wa lakum a'maalukum wa nahnu lahoo mukhlisson.

[Q2:139] Say: Do you dispute with us about ALLAH (SWT), and He is our Lord and your Lord, and we shall have our deeds and you shall have your deeds, and we are sincere to Him.

[Q2:139] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): “Patutkah kamu (hai kaum Yahudi dan Nasrani) membuat bantahan terhadap kami mengenai pilihan ALLAH (SwT) dan pengurniaanNya ? Padahal Dia lah Tuhan kami dan Tuhan kamu. Bagi kami (faedah) amal kami dan bagi kamu pula (faedah) amal kamu (kalau diikhlaskan), dan kami adalah (mengerjakan amal dengan) ikhlas kepadaNya;

ALLAH (SWT) IS THE LORD OF ALL CREATED BEINGS. HE IS THE LORD OF THE WORLDS - THE UNIVERSE. HE IS NOT BIASED AGAINST ANYONE, NOR SHOWS FAVOURITISM TOWARDS ANY. Those who sincerely devote themselves to Him receive, in return of their goodness, His special grace.

ä  This is a warning to the Jews and the Christians and all those who believe that they alone are the "beloved children of ALLAH (SWT)."

"Whosoever goes on the right path, verily he does so for himself; and he who goes astray does so to his own loss; and no one who carries a burden shall bear another's burden; and We never punish until We have sent a messenger (among them)." (Bani Israil 17:15)

Verse 35:18 of al Fatir and verse 39:7 of al Zumar also refer to this truth.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:139) O Prophet, say to them, "Do you argue with us concerning AIIah, whereas He is our Lord and also your Lord? *138 We shall be accountable to Him for our deeds and you for yours; so we have dedicated our worship to Him alone. *139

*138. The one principle that the Prophet and his followers unreservedly stood for was that God alone should be served. Does that call for dispute and quarrel? If anyone, it is the Muslims who are entitled to quarrel with the Jews and Christians, for it is they rather than the Muslims who insist that others beside God should also be made objects of service and adoration.
An alternative translation of this portion could be: 'Would you then dispute with us for the sake of Allah?' In this case the meaning of the verse would be that if their dispute was sincere, it was easy to put an end to it by, agreeing to serve none but God.
*139. They are told that everyone is responsible for his own conduct. If they have earmarked a part of their service and devotion to others than God, let them do so and see for themselves what it leads to. The Muslims did not want to keep them from error by force. As for themselves, they had consecrated their service, obedience and worship to God alone. If the Jews and Christians could bring themselves to recognize the right of the Muslims to do so, the dispute could automatically be brought to an end,

أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ ۗ قُلْ أَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِنْدَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ {2:140}

[Q2:140] Am taqooloona inna Ibraaheema wa Ismaa'eela wa Ishaaq wa Ya'qooba wal asbaata kaanoo Hoodan aw Nasaaraa; qul 'a-antum a'lamu amil laah; wa man azlamu mimman katama shahaadatan 'indahoo minallaah; wa mallaahu bighaafilin 'ammaa ta'maloon.
[Q2:140] Nay! Do you say that Ibrahim and Ismail and Yaqoub and the tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Are you better knowing or ALLAH (SWT)? And who is more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that he has from ALLAH (SWT)? And ALLAH (SWT) is not at all heedless of what you do.

[Q2:140] “Atau patutkah kamu mengatakan, bahawa Nabi Ibrahim, dan Nabi Ismail, dan Nabi Ishak, dan Nabi Yaakub beserta anak-anaknya, mereka semua adalah orang-orang Yahudi atau Nasrani, (padahal ugama mereka telahpun ada sebelum adanya ugama Yahudi atau ugama Kristian itu)?” Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): “Adakah kamu yang lebih mengetahui atau ALLAH (SwT)? Dan siapakah yang lebih zalim daripada orang yang menyembunyikan keterangan (saksi dan bukti) yang telah diberikan ALLAH (SwT) kepadanya?” Dan (ingatlah), ALLAH (SwT) tidak sekali-kali lalai akan apa yang telah kamu lakukan.

Please refer to the commentary of verses 20 and 135 of this surah. The question put in this verse is, in fact, a disapproval of the belief of the Jews and the Christians, as it has been used in verse 7:195 of al Araf to condemn the idolworshippers.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2:140) Or do you say that Abraham. Ismail , Isaac, Jacob and his children were all Jews or Christians?" Ask them,"Do you know more than Allah does? *140 And who is more unjust than the one who hides the testimony which Allah has entrusted to him? Allah is not unaware of what you are doing. *141

*140. This remark is addressed to the ignorant mass of Jews and Christians who sincerely believed that all the Prophets belonged to their religious denomination. 
*141. This remark is addressed to THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGIANS WHO WERE NOT UNAWARE THAT JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY, WITH THEIR EXISTING CHARACTERISTICS, HAD EMERGED AT A RELATIVELY LATE PERIOD IN HISTORY. They nevertheless considered Truth to he confined to their own religious sects. They also perpetuated the misunderstanding that man's ultimate happiness and success lay in following the beliefs, institutions and legal codes which had been developed by their jurists, theologians and mystics long after the Prophet of God had passed away. When these theologians were asked to which among their religious communities Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other Prophets belonged, they evaded a reply. This was because they could not state categorically that they belonged to their own sect. On the other hand, they could not reply explicitly in the negative, for such an admission would have undermined the very basis of their claim that Truth was confined to their fold.